Introduction
PDUSM
PDUSM - History of Plastic:
- According to a report published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2015, Indian cities generate around 15000 tonnes of plastic waste. This waste is sufficient to fill 1500 trucks in a day across the Indian cities.
- Almost 94 percent of the waste generated by these Indian cities comprises a thermoplastic. Both polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are recyclable.
- Besides, High-Density Polyethylene (HDP), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDP), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and Polyamides (PA) are also majorly used for different purposes in India.
- Downtoearth published a report in 2018 that states that India’s four metropolitan cities generate more than 1760 tonnes of plastic daily. This amounts to 40 percent of the plastic waste produced in India’s major cities.
- Since the last two decades, 25 out of 29 states in India and several Union Territories have attempted to regulate the use of plastics by banning them in some form or putting fines on its use.
- Plastic Waste-Free India’ anthem has been launched in seven languages, namely; Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada.
- The anthem was released as a part of an audio-video campaign from the house of the Union Minister.
- The anthem was launched by the Union Minister, Mr. Harsh Vardon as a part of a campaign to make India free from plastic by 2022. The minister stressed on the strengthening plastic waste management and recycling ecosystem in India.
- While most countries of the world have imposed a ban on importing plastic waste and take up recycling efforts, India is a country where imports are increased substantially.
- PDUSM claims that India's import of plastic scraps from countries like China, Italy, Japan, and Malawi for recycling quadrupled. In the same countries, the import of PET bottle scrap and flakes also quadrupled.
- PDUSM claims that the legal loopholes have attributed to this increase in plastic waste.
- According to PDUSM, India has imported 25000 million tonnes (MT) in the first three months of 2018 to 2019.
- India banned the import of plastic waste, in particular of the PET bottles, in 2015 due to the inability to recycle them.
There are many surprising ways in which plastics can help to fight the effects of climate change. Here are some of them.
- Many southeast Asian countries have taken measures like subsidizing the plastic recycling companies and imposing a tax on plastic. However, PDUSM and industry observers feel that Southeast Asia can become the new possible plastic recycling hub.
- After China’s ban on plastic import, Malaysia has become a leading alternative destination for plastic recycling. With this, unlicensed recycling factories mushroomed leading to environmentally harmful methods of plastic disposal.
- Internally, India recycles much more plastic waste than other richer countries. According to an estimate India produces 26000 tonnes of plastic waste daily and collects 15000 tonnes.
- Despite the belief that recycling is a good practice, PDUSM believes in focussing on reducing plastic usage.
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| PDUSM | Pandit Deedaya Upadhyaya Smriti Manch |
| PET | Polyethylene Terephthalate |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride |
| HDP | High-Density Polyethylene |
| LDP | Low-Density Polyethylene |
| PP | Polypropylene |
| PA | Polyamides |
| MT | Million Tonnes |